]]>Everyone wants to know how to save money on hotels. Considering the costs can easily be a huge part of your travel budget, why wouldn’t you want to save? The problem is, hotel prices change all the time depending on demand and other factors which can make it tricky when you’re trying to find a deal.

I try not to leave things to chance. Instead of trying old “tips” like just asking for an upgrade or slipping the front desk $20 for a better room, I focus on practical things that I can actually control. Here are my top tips on how to save money on hotels.

Be flexible

Being flexible will always be the best way to save money when travelling. During the week, there are many business travellers while Friday and Saturday’s are busy for weekend travellers. Sunday usually has the lowest occupancy rate which might be lower rates. There’s no set formula here so you’ll want to play with your dates to see what’s available.

Travelling during the off-season is also a guaranteed way to lower your overall trip costs. Whenever there’s less demand, prices will fall. Hotels and flight prices can drop a fair amount during the off-season which can make your trip much more affordable. Plus, there are fewer crowds!

Alternatively, if you’re really flexible, you could bid for your hotel via Priceline or Hotwire. You could even wait until the last minute and try your luck with the Hotels Tonight app.

Book in advance

Many hotels offer special promotions if you book months, weeks or sometimes just 10-days in advance. Not only will you be able to get the best price, you’ll also secure your room before they sell out. There’s a chance that the booking will be non-refundable but if you’re looking to save, you can’t complain about that.

Even if you do decide to travel during busier times, many of these book early deals are still available. Some hotels still manually adjust their rates so if you might be able to book a lower rate

Join a rewards program

Every hotel chain has a rewards program that rewards loyal customers. Although you won’t get a free hotel stay right away, you’ll usually get additional benefits such as free wi-fi, early check-in, late check-out and much more immediately.

The amount of points required to claim a free night depends on the rewards program and the hotel category so it’s worth reading up on the different programs before committing.

Keep in mind that many of these programs offer a cash and points option where you can claim partial points and a reduced fee to get a night’s stay. If you do the math, you may find that cash and points are a better value than accumulating enough points to claim a free night.

Use credit card rewards

Speaking of hotel rewards programs, if you happen to be loyal to Starwood or Marriott hotels, you can earn points fast if you sign up for their co-branded credit cards.

Both cards have huge signup bonuses (after you meet the minimum spend) which will give you enough points to claim multiple nights right away. Check out my post about the best travel rewards credit cards for more card recommendations.

Don’t use a hotel

Sometimes when people ask me how to save money on hotels I reply with, “don’t use hotels.” Hotels are admittedly expensive, fortunately, there are many other options available to travellers these days.

My preferred accommodation these days is Airbnb. If you’re unfamiliar with the service, it’s a website that allows you to book private apartments directly from owners all over the world. Costs vary depending on availability and the city you’re visiting, but it could easily be a 50% savings compared to hotels. Use by Airbnb referral code now to get $30 off your first stay.

Hostels should also be seriously considered for a variety of reasons. They’re perfect for younger travellers who’re looking for the cheap accommodations possible. Families or group travellers can book entire dorms to make it more “private.” Many hostels these days even have private rooms with private washrooms which can be much cheaper than hotels.

Other accommodation options to help you save include vacation homes, home swapping, couch surfing or even renting an RV.

Use a metasearch engine

There has never been more choice for travellers when it comes to booking hotels. Skyscanner.ca, Hotels.com, KAYAK, Booking.com, and Expedia.ca are all great websites to book your travel since they search thousands of hotels to give you the best price.

Everyone has their own preferred booking site so I’ll let you decide for yourself, but I usually book through Skyscanner or Expedia. The point is, you want to use search engines that search all the hotel chains.

Bundle your travel

If you need to book airfare and hotels, you can sometimes save money by booking both through the same travel provider. I recently booked airfare through Expedia.ca and was immediately prompted to book my hotel and car rental at a discount.

I wasn’t convinced it was actually a better price so I decided to double check if I was actually getting a better offer. Surprisingly, it was indeed a deal. The best part about this discount is that I didn’t have to book everything right away, Expedia gave me 15 days to lock in my prices.

Book directly

This may contradict the previous point but if you want to know how to save money on hotels, you sometimes need to go directly to the source. Many hotels offer special promotions and packages that are only available on their website.

It’s also worth noting that when you book directly with hotels, the customer service experience begins immediately. You’ll get access to more inventory, it’s easier to make special requests, and you’ll most likely have a more flexible cancellation policy.

Choose your location wisely

The most popular areas of any city will always be more expensive. Think midtown Manhattan, West End London and Shibuya in Tokyo. By simply staying just a few metro stops away from these major tourist areas, you can usually save a minimum of 25%.

Keep in mind that staying further out does add time and potential travel costs. I usually try to pick a location that has good access to public transportation to further reduce my costs.

Check for best price guarantees

If you really want to travel hack, pay close attention to best price guarantees. Basically, if you book through a travel provider or directly through the hotel and find a lower price within 24 hours, the original site you booked with will match the price and offer you something extra.

Expedia offers a $50 travel credit while the InterContinental Hotels Group will give you the first night free. Check out Steven Zussino’s Travel Hacking Guide for Canadians to find out the full details of each individual program.

Barry Choi is a personal finance and budget travel expert at Moneywehave.com. He has been quoted in The Financial Post, The Toronto Star, Business Insider and The Globe and Mail. You can follow him on Twitter:@barrychoi

]]>http://www.moneysense.ca/spend/shopping/travel/how-to-save-money-on-hotels/feed/0How I started my own B&Bhttp://www.moneysense.ca/spend/real-estate/income-properties/starting-a-business-how-i-started-a-bb/
http://www.moneysense.ca/spend/real-estate/income-properties/starting-a-business-how-i-started-a-bb/#commentsSun, 22 Jun 2014 17:07:12 +0000http://www.moneysense.ca/?p=85324If you’re opening a B&B, the numbers can be frustrating

Eight years ago, when I opened my bed and breakfast in Ontario’s Parry Sound, I thought I knew it all. I had worked for 20 years in customer service and was good with people. But I wasn’t happy. My corporate jobs required me to travel all the time. That sounds exotic but I missed my two sons and didn’t have a balanced life. Wherever I went, I loved staying at homey B&Bs, mostly in small towns. It reminded me of the great summers I had spent at the family cottage in northern Ontario when I was a child. I wanted to recreate that slower pace and community involvement in my everyday life. Plus, I wanted to put that home economics degree I had earned 30 years before to good use.

So in 2002, with my two kids in college, I started planning to leave my job and open an inn. In the spring of 2005, my research led me to consider Owen Sound, Ont., a town that had embraced tourism and also had a college. Then disaster struck. A family emergency made it impossible to move and in the fall of 2005, fate took over. I had just attended a talk in Toronto titled, ‘What’s holding you back from achieving your dream?’ The next day, I read an ad in the newspaper that showed a house for sale on Parry Sound’s waterfront. I drove up to see it, loved it and bought it. In the spring of 2006, I opened my very own B&B. That’s when the real learning curve started.

Don’t get me wrong: I was an immediate success. Two hours after opening my doors at 40 Bay Street B&B, I had customers. But what I hadn’t fully understood was how people really made their travel plans. I had expected guests to stay two nights but most stayed just one. That made B&B guest turnover higher—and daily cleaning more labour intensive. Because of costs, I had to do it all myself and wasn’t prepared for the extra work.

Still, I learned a lot. One B&B owner explained how to deal with friends who want to visit and stay for free. Now, when friends call to say they want to come up, I tell them outright that I’d love to see them but they have a choice. They can book a room and pay my friend rate of $100 a night, they can come up and sleep on the couch for free, or they can take a chance that a spare room will be empty when they arrive and they can have it in exchange for helping me out the next day. That cuts down on freeloaders.

If you’re interested in opening a B&B, I should warn you that the numbers can be frustrating. How much you earn depends on many variables: How many rooms do you have? How much are you charging? I created a five-year plan based on the rates at local B&Bs. I doubled my revenue in the second year but in the third year things started to level out. That’s typical but I still had to tweak my plan to ensure I stayed on budget.

It also helps to know what you want to get out of a B&B from a personal perspective. Myself, I wanted a more flexible day than a corporate job offered as well as a small-town Ontario lifestyle. But honestly, running a B&B isn’t that flexible, especially in high season, when people are coming and going all day long. Still, I’ve made some great friends and become involved in local politics and community volunteering. I love that.

These days I live a modest but comfortable life. And I’ve accomplished the two key goals I set out for myself—to make enough to support myself and to experience life in a small town. But I’m an entrepreneur at heart and love people. Which is why I’ve started a side business as a B&B coach. Like me, a lot of people don’t know what to expect from owning an inn and I try to prepare them for the transition. Watching them succeed at the B&B dream is what makes it all worthwhile for me.

Private elevators, personal shopping assistants, six-bedroom suites with their own postal codes. Even helipads. This is what the super-rich have come to expect from hotels.

For others, vacation now means renting someone’s apartment, a spare room, maybe just a couch — anything to save on the cost of a hotel.

As the gap between the wealthiest travellers and everyone else has widened, so has the way people are experiencing vacations. The wealthy are looking for ever-more pampering. Many others are seeking new ways to economize.

And the lodging industry is adapting — at the high and low ends — to meet the diverging needs.

Luxury hotels are catering to financial elites from Russia, China, Brazil or the Middle East who now routinely hop around the world and don’t mind dropping $20,000 a night for a glamorous accommodation.

“High-end travel in the air, on the sea and on land has never been more robust,” says Steve Carvell, an associate dean at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. “There are more people with more concentrated wealth.”

Luxury hotels are arising even at iconic middle-American tourism spots such as Walt Disney World. Four Seasons will open a 444-room resort there in August with 68 suites, including a nine-bedroom royal suite sporting a 1,000 square-foot (93-square-meter) private terrace with views of the park’s nightly fireworks.

During the Great Recession, many resorts dropped “resort and spa” from their name. The idea was to appeal to corporate organizers who didn’t want trips to seem extravagant. Excess now appears back in style.

In November, Four Seasons added the phrase “and residences” to its mountain resorts in Vail, Colorado; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; and Whistler, Canada. It’s pursuing families seeking a residential experience with the pampering of a hotel staff.

The six-bedroom suite in Vail fetches $15,000 a night. You get three living rooms and a movie room. The suite includes a dedicated assistant who can arrange airport transfers, private ski lessons and after-hours shopping.

The return of extravagance reflects one characteristic of the recovery: After paring their vacations along with everyone else during the recession, the wealthy have rebounded with force. Since 2009, hotel spending by the wealthiest 20 per cent of Americans has risen about 6 per cent, according to inflation-adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle 20 per cent are still spending nearly 3 per cent less.

To stretch their discretionary dollars, middle-income vacationers are fueling one of the industry’s growth areas: “limited service” lodgings. At Marriott’s Fairfield Inn, Hyatt Place and Holiday Inn Express, you get free Wi-Fi and breakfast. But there’s no bellman, concierge or restaurants.

The idea is to draw travellers who feel priced out of full-service hotels. People can still say, “I’m staying at the Marriott,” even if it’s the Fairfield Inn, says Bjorn Hanson, dean of New York University’s hospitality school.

But many people are seeking deeper savings through increasingly popular sites such as Airbnb that arrange for people to rent rooms or apartments. The number of listed accommodations has soared since Airbnb’s founding in 2008 to 550,000 — not far below Hilton’s 685,000 rooms worldwide. Some studies suggest that Airbnb could be cutting into budget hotels’ revenue.

Robin Lynch, 34, of New York City put 14 relatives, including her in-laws, in five Airbnb facilities in Brooklyn for her wedding last year. She estimates she paid roughly $200 a night, on average, compared with the $300 she’d expected for a hotel.

“That amounts to a lot of savings over seven days,” she says.

High unemployment and flat paychecks have spurred more people not only to stay in Airbnb rooms but also to list their own homes.

Eric Worley, 30, and his girlfriend stayed at an Airbnb home in Columbus, Ohio, for $59 a night — half the lowest hotel rate they could find.

“Not only am I saving money, I’m also helping out another person … by giving them some extra money,” he says. “I’d much rather do that than have a corporation overcharge me for what is essentially the same service.”

Sometimes, the cut-rate experience goes further that visitors had expected. Ann Carman, 32, of Yellow Springs, Ohio, had always wanted to stay in an Airstream trailer. When she and her boyfriend visited Austin, Texas, in December 2013, she found one in a backyard. They weren’t alone. Sharing their accommodations were a pig named Fern, two dogs and a rooster.

“I was like, ‘They’ve got a pig in their backyard, we’ve got to stay there,’” she says.

Airbnb hosts can charge less than hotels because they typically don’t pay accommodation taxes or meet safety or disability regulations. That’s sparked grumbling from hotels — and from localities that lose out on tax revenue.

The luxury sphere is also trying to expand its base. Chains such as the Ritz-Carlton and the Mandarin Oriental are pursuing not just the uber-rich but increasingly the merely affluent.

“My father would never have stayed in a luxury hotel,” Hanson says. “He didn’t think he belonged there, even though he might have been able to afford it.”

As more modestly rich travellers have checked in, these hotels have sought to provide more for the ultra-wealthy.

With the recently opened St. Regis Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, architects considered how much privacy to provide its most sumptuous suites, says Paul James, head of Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ luxury properties.

“Part of the Abu Dhabi conversation was: ‘Where does the helicopter land?’” James says.

More of the wealthiest travellers are now booking on shorter notice — sometime less than a day. The St. Regis Mardavall in Mallorca, Spain, got a call from a 30-something German asking about the local weather. The receptionist reported 85 degrees and blue skies. The traveller booked the largest available suite and said he’d arrive in an hour.

He made the call from his private jet circling above Madrid.

The elite traveller’s experience was precisely what the Rosewood London had in mind when it opened its Grand Manor House Wing in December. The six-bedroom complex offers three living rooms, a library and a dining table for eight. It has its own street entrance and private elevator. For $42,000 a night, guests get some extra bragging rights: Their suite has its own postal code.

Mark Herron, general manager of the Four Seasons Vail, notes that his hotel recently arranged for a guest to feed elephants at a local zoo — even though the zoo was closed.

Then there was a celebrity who had a craving for Kentucky Fried Chicken. The nearest one was 28 miles (45 kilometres) way.

The hotel first tried to make it but couldn’t match the recipe. “Plus, the celebrity wanted the bucket,” Herron says.

Within an hour, the guest and his 21-person entourage had 10 buckets full of traditional and extra-crispy chicken.

Cornell’s Carvell has a theory about why anyone makes such extravagant requests.

“They’ll sometimes do it just to see if it can be done,” he says. “They don’t want to hear the word no.”

Most of us soon grow out of our youth hostel stage. Flea-pit dorms, sweaty-sock aromas and those greasy group kitchens ever-encrusted with mystery meat pasta residues are best remembered in rose-tinted retrospect. But times are a changin’ in hostel land—as savvy mainstream travellers are increasingly discovering.

A swath of new and upgraded independent hostels has unfurled its bedroll around the globe in recent years. Aiming to retain those maturing backpackers who previously graduated to hotels, they’re also luring bunk bed-hating newbies who won’t stay anywhere that doesn’t offer ensuite private rooms with fresh linens.

But this new breed of “boutique hostels” isn’t just serving up minimum amenities on the cheap. With private room rates that often echo small hotels, value-added extras from free wi-fi to gratis breakfasts make them attractive alternatives. Add standard features like lounges, cooking facilities, laundry rooms, complimentary local tours and the occasional swimming pool, and these next generation hostels suddenly become serious options for all.

Here then, for those planning Europe and U.S. trips, is a handpicked array of some of the best hostels with hotel-style rooms. Book as far ahead as possible—most have only a few ensuites that are highly sought after—and be prepared to meet a cool new crowd of fellow travellers during your stay. Luckily, your private room means you won’t have to listen to them snoring on the top bunk.

Independente Hostel & Suites in Lisbon

While Australia—home of the perennial twentysomething traveller—kicked off the fancy hostel trend more than a decade ago (consider the Base Backpackers mini-chain if you’re visiting this region), Europe has made the biggest leaps in hotel-style sleepovers in recent years. One of the best of the bunch is the stylish Independente Hostel & Suites in Lisbon.

Located in the historic city’s hipsterish Bairro Alto district, this two-year-old property handsomely colonizes what used to be the Swiss ambassador’s residence. Alongside regular dorms, its four rustic-chic, river-view private rooms—with balconies, hardwood floors and exposed timber beams—will cost $149 for two people including breakfast. Rooms are lined with vintage books and furnishings, while its good-value onsite restaurant and beer garden lures as many locals as hostellers: go for the hearty weekend brunch.

Value without sacrifice is also the approach at Amsterdam’s quirky Cocomama. Well-located not far from Rembrandt Square and the recently reopened Rijksmuseum, it’s in a heritage building that once housed an infamous brothel. The cozy private rooms here ($146 a night) have an artsy, bohemian feel with chandeliers and high ceilings, while the hangout areas and solicitous young staff are key attractions—Joop, the friendly hostel cat, is also ever-ready to socialize.

Circus Hostel in Berlin

You’ll also be purring at Berlin’s top option. With a hotbed of hotelesque alternatives—the large Grand Hostel and the swimming-pool-equipped Plus Berlin are popular—the best of the bunch here is Circus Hostel. Opposite a handy U-Bahn train station (you’ll be in the city centre in 10 minutes), the recommended rooms at this brightly painted sleepover are two spacious, kitchen-equipped private apartments ($136 a night). A bar and restaurant add to the allure, while a busy events calendar and frequent free city tours keep things lively.

Plus Berlin

The chic hostel trend has also hit the U.S., even reaching New York, that bastion of bloated room rates. Trendy options include Out NYC and the Bowery House. But it’s Brooklyn’s sociable New York Loft Hostel, located in indie-flavoured Williamsburg, that’s the top lure. Rooms are just $92 a night, including breakfast. With its exposed-brick private quarters and cool subterranean bar, it stages regular freebie fondue nights.

There’s an equally inviting option 1,200 km west at the Chicago Getaway Hostel ($89 a night with breakfast). Socked into a row of redbrick townhouses in the vibrant Lincoln Park neighbourhood, the main attractions here are the immaculate and spacious—if Spartan—private rooms. Bike rentals and a courtyard patio brimming with international travellers add to the appeal, and you’ll likely spot the same crowd on the hostel’s regular guided pub-crawl nights.

If you head south to cool Austin, Texas, you can see what may become the favourite of America’s next generation hostels. Opened in 2012 in a heritage fire hall building, the Firehouse Hostel is just steps from downtown’s 6th Street entertainment core. For $119 a night including breakfast, its comfortable private suites have large bathrooms and an elegant, high-ceilinged look. And there’s also an adjoining cocktail bar if you don’t want to stray too far from your room on your first night. It’s the perfect place to toast your return to hostelling—backpack not required.

On a book tour at the beginning of this year, I slept in some else’s bed 32 days out of 58. I’ve seen the inside of just about every hotel chain in Canada. And some of the “extra charges” make me gasp. If you want to save on a hotel stay, here are 9 tips:

Look for fees where you least expect them See that bottle of water on the desk. See the label hanging on it. Read it before you turn the cap. That bottle of water could cost you up to $14. Go get yourself a bucket of ice.

Steer clear of the mini-bar The hotel industry’s version of the grocery store checkout lane, mini-bars count on impulse purchases. The markups are gargantuan. Find out where the closest convenience store is and buy a stash of water, juices and snacks.

Don’t touch the phone The phone rates are exorbitant. Sometimes local calling is free. But long-distance … oy!

Read your room-service bill Most room-service bills add a 15% gratuity along with a delivery charge. If you order room service, don’t make it more expensive by tipping if there’s an automatic charge.

Parking can cost a fortune I’ve had to pay upwards of $30 a day for parking at hotels in major city centres. If you’re willing to stay a little further out from the hub, you can get free parking. Over a four-day stay, that’ll save you $120, which will buy you a VERY nice dinner.

The Internet isn’t free everywhere But it may be included if you pick the right room package. Check out the daily Internet fee and then see if booking a slightly better room that includes Internet access will save you some money.

Sign up for points Every chain has a loyalty program. It may take a while to accumulate enough points, but even if it takes a couple of years, enough points could make your next family vacation considerably cheaper. If you’re a member of AAA you might be eligible for better pricing if your hotel has a reciprocal arrangement. Some hotels have reduced rates for people “of a certain age” – yah, getting older does have some benefits – or if you’re a veteran or a member of the armed forces.

Be aware of your destination’s peak periods You know about trying to get a room during March Break. But what about if you have to go to a city where there’s a big convention happening at exactly the same time. You’ll pay through the nose for a room. When the Film Festival is on in Toronto, room rates double!

Book your weekend stay at a business hotel The same rules of demand and supply can help you get your room at a substantial discount if you book with the property tends to empty out.

Book through an online discount site like hotels.com or Travelocity and save big-time. You’ve seen the ads. Would Captain Kirk lie?

]]>http://www.moneysense.ca/save/pay-less-for-a-hotel/feed/0Best places to live: New York tops fun indexhttp://www.moneysense.ca/columns/best-places-to-live-new-york-tops-fun-index/
http://www.moneysense.ca/columns/best-places-to-live-new-york-tops-fun-index/#commentsTue, 27 Apr 2010 15:17:06 +0000http://www.moneysense.ca/?p=4293Portfolio.com says the Big Apple is the best place in the U.S. to have fun.

]]>In less than a week, MoneySense will reveal what Canadian city is the best place to live. I’m not sure where New York would fit into things if we did a Best Places to Live Around the World feature, but it would likely rank high on our culture list (called the buzz ranking last year) for many of the same reasons it topped Portfolio.com’s Fun Index.

Yesterday, the website revealed its picks for the best places to have (and not have) fun. The Big Apple ranked number one with a score of 17.88 out of 20. Writer G. Scott Thomas says the city was tops in three of the seven categories — shopping, food and drink and culture, and it came in second in three others. It’s not hard to see why it’s such a great place — NYC has 431 museums and historical sites, has nearly 400 stores, about 83 restaurants 12.5 gyms and 2.3 museums per 100,000 people.

I visited the city once and I did have an amazing time. But what the index fails to take into account, as far as I can tell, is how expensive New York is. A Forbes story published last month ranked the city as the most expensive locale to visit in the U.S, with the average hotel room about $200 (which is $64 lower than the year before — likely due to less travellers during the recession). Throw in Broadway tickets, meals, various tours, some pricey cab rides and all that fun will cost you. Still, if it really is the best city to party in, then it may be worth the money.

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I’m not a fancy guy. But when my wife and I travel, we prefer five-star hotels. We’re not rich, but you don’t have to be. You just have to enjoy surprises.

Our secret is to use websites such as Hotwire and Priceline that let you set what you’re willing to pay, and the star level of your lodging — but don’t let you choose the exact hotel. In return, you get five-star luxury at two-star prices.

We recently returned from Athens where we reserved gorgeous rooms at the five-star Intercontinental from Hotwire for just US$99 a night. All we had to do is click over to the site, specify the geographic area where we wanted to stay, and select a minimum star rating. You then pick from a list of properties, each of which specifies a price and amenities, but doesn’t include the actual name or exact location of the hotel.

My wife and I chose the lowest price and were delighted to get the Intercontinental Athenaeum Athens. We paid $30 to upgrade to a deluxe room. Had we purchased it from the hotel’s website, we would have shelled out around $300 a night.

We’ve also saved a bundle using Priceline. Like Hotwire, this site lets you select an area and star rating, but rather than choosing an unnamed property, you simply set your price. Using the service, we were able to land a five-star hotel in Beverly Hills for only US$99 a night.

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Hotel fees take a huge bite out of any travel budget. But you and your family can sleep for (almost) free if you’re willing to get inventive.

Take the vow of poverty. Many monasteries and religious hospices, particularly in Europe, take in guests for a modest fee starting at $35 or so a night. A continental breakfast usually comes with your room. These religious retreats provide a peaceful atmosphere and you don’t have to be Catholic to grab a bed. For more information, check out www.monasterystays.com or Google “monastery lodgings” and the country you’re interested in.

Trade spaces. You can avoid hotel fees entirely by swapping homes with someone in a foreign country for a week or two. To see who’s looking to exchange and when, check out websites such as www.homeexchange.com (US$99.95 a year); www.homelink.org ($130 a year), or www.intervacus.com (US$95 a year).

Be their guest. Hospitality exchanges are networks of travelers who are willing to put up fellow members in their homes for free. The “exchange” part means that those who have hosted others get to stay in the spare bedroom of any other network member when traveling themselves. You can see what’s available at www.affordabletravelclub.net. It spans 2,000 members, and charges a membership fee US$65 . If you’re a woman, consider www.womenwelcomewomen.org.uk. It has 2,600 members in 80 countries and a membership fee of $75.

Go camping. You can treat your family to swimming, hiking, fishing and marshmallows around the campfire for less than $50 a night at many campsites. The best deals of all? Campsites near big cities. Bruce Armstrong, a 53-year-old Torontonian, took his wife and three kids to New York for next to nothing by staying in a campground in New Jersey. The next morning the Armstrongs drove to the Jersey side of the Hudson River and took a train into the Big Apple. “It was an inexpensive way to show our kids New York,” Bruce says.

Bargain for a bed. Surveys by Consumer Reports show that almost half of people who bargain for a hotel room succeed in negotiating a lower rate. For the best rates, call the hotel directly—staff who are on the spot may have more discretion to offer a a deal than a website does. Start by asking for the lowest rate and then do some polite bargaining. Questions such as, “What if I arrive a day earlier? How about a day later? Is there something a little less expensive on a lower floor?” often get good results. If all else fails, simply stating “that’s beyond my budget” can work. “Tourism is struggling and hotel occupancy is down considerably,” says Patrick Dineen, editor of Travelweek. “There are good deals to be had everywhere. So negotiate.”